Combined coffin latch and support



April 19, 1932. e. A. BLUE COMBINED COFFIN LATCH AND SUPPORT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1, 1929 Tic-2.1.

ATTORNEYS April 19, 1932. k BLUE 1,854,576

r V COMBINED COFFIN LATCH AND SUPPORT Filed Nov. 1, 1929 Z-Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 19, 1932 Free GLENN A. BLUE, 0F EMPORIA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT G. ROBERTS, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS COMBINED COFFIN LATCH AND SUPPORT Application filed November 1, 1929. Serial No. 404,161.

This invention relates to latching devices, and more particularly to a latch which is primarily adapted for securing coflins in rough boxes or vaults.

Heretofore it has been the usual practice in shipping cofiins to secure the coffin in the rough box by means of long wood screws in order to prevent the cofiin from shifting around in the box and becoming marred or 10 otherwise damaged. This method of securing the cofiin in the rough boX' or vault has proved very unsatisfactory for the reason that it so frequently occurs that one or more of the screws twists or breaks off when being 15 removed to permit the cofiin to be taken out of the rough box. This breakage of the screws makes itexceedingly ditficult to remove the remaining portion of the screw to free the coflin from the rough box.

If the screws do not twist off or break, it often occurs that the screw driver slots will be so damaged by the twisting action of the screw driver, that is not possible to remove them with a screw driver.

To obviate the aforementioned difficulties I have provided a simple latch construction which serves to securely hold the coflin within the rough box or vault and prevent any relative movement between the same.

A further object of the invention is to construct the latch in such a manner as to cause the cofiin to be held in spaced relation with respect to the bottom of the rough box or vault when latched in position to permit ready removal of lowering straps.

It is my further object to provide means for readily releasing the latches when the top of the rough box or vault has been removed.

. Another object of my invention is to provicle a means for retaining the latch in both latched and unlatched positions.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a rough box or vault showing in elevation a cofiin secured therein and held in spaced relation by i the latches;

position and the dotted lines showing the unlatched position of the parts;

Fig. 6 is a sectional fragmentary view taken on line 66' of Fig. 5; and i Fig. 7 is a modified form of my invention.

Like numerals refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 3, 1 denotes a casket or coflin of any usual form located in a rough box or vault 2 and resting on the latching devices 3 located adjacent the ends of the coffin. These latching devices may be positioned at any desired points, but I erably employ four devices located adjacent the corners of the cotfin.

The latching devices comprise U-shap'e-d frames 4: having offset feet or flanges 5 which are provided with apertures 6 adapted to receive screws orv nails 7 for securing the latching devices to the bottom of the rough box or vault. The frames are preferably provided with U-shaped guards 8 between the sides of which the latch fingers 9 are adapted to extend. The latch'fingers are pivotally secured to the frames at 10 in any suitable manner and are formed with hooked ends 11 for engaging plates 12 which are adapted to be secured to the bottom of the coffin in any suitable manner at the corresponding points with respect to the position of the latching devices. These plates 12 are provided with apertures 13 for permitting the guards 8 to be inserted therethrough and project into recesses 14: formed in the bottom of the coffin behind the plates, when the coffin is placed in the rough box. The plates are preferably inlaid flush in the bottom of the cofiin'in order that there will be no projection to hinder the coflin from being readily slid on the usual racks in a hearse, as well as for other obvious reasons. The recesses 14 behind the plates 12 are of sufficient size to permit the hooked ends of the latch fingers to engage the edges 15 of the plates when in latched position.

The latch fingers are preferably formed with angular extensions 16 having notches 17 which are adapted to be engaged by suitable retaining members such as, for example, by the spring members 18 for retaining the latch fingers in either latched or unlatched position.

Secured to the extensions 16, are the latch operating members of any desired form, such as flexible cords 19, which are adapted to be brought around the sides of the coffin and loosely tied over the top to permit the latches to be readily operated when the lid of the rough box or vault is removed. When the coffin or vault is made of metallic material, suitable pieces 20 may be welded or otherwise secured over the apertures 21 which must be formed in the bottom of the coffin to receive the latches. This enables the coffin to be kept air tight and water tight if desired.

It is obvious that the use of latch devices as described causes the coffin to be held in spaced relation with respect to the rough box, thereby allowing ready removal of the lowering straps when the coffin is finally lowered into the rough box in the grave. Hence the latch devices perform a double function, namely, that of securing the coffin to revent shifting during shipping or handling and serving to permit easy removal of thei lowering straps.

rom the foregoing, the operation of my invention is ebvious and may be briefly described as follows:

The lid of the vault or rough box having been removed and the latching devices secured to the bottom of the box at the points corresponding to the location of the plates on the bottom of the coffin, the flexible cords are laid over the edges of the box or held in any other suitable manner while the coflin is being placed therein. The latching devices automatically latch the coffin in position as soon as the same is lowered on the frames 4. The cords may then be tied over the top of the coflin or secured in any suitable manner to render them readily available for manipulation of the latch fingers when it is desired to release the coffin.

To remove the cofin from the rough box or vault it is only necessary to pull each of the qperating cords 19, causing the latch fingers to be rotated into the guards 8 and out of engagement with the plates 12 in which posiions they will be retained by the spring members 18 which engage the notches 17, whereupon the coflin may be readily lifted out. Before placing the coffin in the rough box, the latches may be tripped so that the fingers will automatically engage the plates when the cofiin has been placed on the latching devices. The shifting of the latch fingers, incident to the engagement of the plates 12 with the guards 8, is not sufficient to cause the spring members 18 to engage the proper notches for retaining the fingers in unlatched position, and hence the fingers will automatically shift into engagement with the plates 12 after the plates come to rest on the frames 4. To cause the fingers to be held in unlatched position, it is necessary to produce a greater shifting which may be done by pulling on the cords 19.

While the specific details of construction have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes and o alterations may be made without departing from the spirit thereof as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a rough box, a coflin adapted to be positioned therein, latch means interposed between the bottom of the coffin and the bottom of the rough box for securing the cofiin in the rough box in spaced relation to the same, and flexible means connected to said latch means and extending to the top of the cofiin for operating said latch means.

2. A latching device comprising a frame, a guard fixed thereto, a latch finger pivoted to the frame and adapted to be projected from the guard, said latch finger having an extension provided with notches formed therein, a resilient member carried by the frame and engaging said notches for retaining said latch finger in latched and unlatched positions, and a plate having an aperture therein adapted to receive the guard and engage the latch finger.

3. A combined coffin support and latch for securing a coffin within a rough box, which comprises a frame positioned between the bottom of the coiiin and the bottom of the rough box, said frame being secured to the rough box and constituting a support for the coffin, and a latch carried by said frame and adapted to interlock with the bottom of the coflin for positively maintaining the coflin immovable with relation to the rough box.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

GLENN A. BLUE. 

